NEW DELHI, October 18 — The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the Prime Minister, accorded final financial approval on Sunday for the government-to-government acquisition of 31 General Atomics MQ-9B High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) armed unmanned aircraft systems for the Indian Armed Forces.
Under the $3.9 Billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurement framework, the Indian Navy will induct 15 SeaGuardian variants for maritime domain surveillance, while the Indian Army and Indian Air Force will each receive 8 SkyGuardian platforms for high-altitude Himalayan border surveillance. Capable of loitering continuously for over 35 hours at altitudes exceeding 40,000 feet, the aircraft are armed with Hellfire precision anti-armour missiles and laser-guided glide munitions.
The Ministry of Defence highlighted that the agreement incorporates mandatory defence offset commitments establishing a sovereign Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) hub in India, facilitating technology transfer to domestic aerospace suppliers for critical drone sensor and airframe components.
The constitutional role of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), defence procurement guidelines under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP 2020), foundational India-US defence pacts (LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA), and tactical capabilities of unmanned aerial combat vehicles (UCAVs) represent prominent topics for UPSC Prelims and Mains.